LONDON,ENGLAND - MARCH 21: (Editors note: The email address has been pixelated) In this photo illustration a spam 'Phishing' email is displayed on a laptop screen on March 21,2022 in London,England. (Photo by Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)
HOUSTON - A 34-year-old Nigerian national living in Houston pleaded guilty Tuesday to operating an illegal money-transmitting business that funneled proceeds from a sophisticated international email scam.
Nigerian email scam
Edikan Adiakpan admitted in federal court that he used a company he controlled, Akama Lifestyle, to move funds for fraudsters between 2020 and 2022 while keeping a percentage as a fee. Federal prosecutors stated the funds originated from "business email compromise" (BEC) schemes that targeted more than 10 victims across at least eight states.
Among those targeted was a California research group dedicated to developing treatments for U.S. veterans.
What we know:
The fraud relied on "spoofed" emails designed to mimic legitimate suppliers and creditors. Victims were tricked into diverting payments to bank accounts controlled by the fraudsters rather than their actual business partners.
According to court documents, the scope of the operation became clear when one victim wired $927,080 to the fraudsters. A portion of those proceeds was then sent to Adiakpan, who redeemed a $60,000 cashier’s check for himself as a kickback for his role in the scheme. The laundering process involved conspirators moving money rapidly between multiple bank accounts they controlled before converting the funds into cashier's checks to be cashed by Adiakpan.
What's next:
U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for Sept. 15. Adiakpan has been in custody since his arrest in June 2025 and faces up to five years in federal prison along with a $250,000 fine.
Dig deeper:
Adiakpan is the second individual convicted in the investigation. Ayobami Omoniyi, 26, another Nigerian citizen involved in the scheme, was sentenced in March to 32 months in federal prison.
The investigation was a joint effort by the FBI’s Houston and Bryan offices and IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Belinda Beek and Christine Lu are leading the prosecution.
The Source: Information in this article is from the Department of Justice and IRS Criminal Investigation.